Recommended by Tom Moran

  • Tom Moran: God Learns of the Death of Harambe, 2016 (colorized)

    I didn't expect this piece could live up to the great title, but it does. Crackling dialogue throughout, likeable and relatable characters, a great cameo and some great turns of phrase make this a breezy and fun read.

    I didn't expect this piece could live up to the great title, but it does. Crackling dialogue throughout, likeable and relatable characters, a great cameo and some great turns of phrase make this a breezy and fun read.

  • Tom Moran: First Date 2099

    Bureaucracy and romance are strange bedfellows, no more so than in this fractured look at love in an age of heavy regulations. A fun concept and an engaging read; especially noteworthy is the overly formal phrasing employed throughout, which gives the impression these characters haven't just bought into the system but have been fundamentally changed by it over the last 3/4 century.

    Bureaucracy and romance are strange bedfellows, no more so than in this fractured look at love in an age of heavy regulations. A fun concept and an engaging read; especially noteworthy is the overly formal phrasing employed throughout, which gives the impression these characters haven't just bought into the system but have been fundamentally changed by it over the last 3/4 century.

  • Tom Moran: To The Moon!

    An entertaining look at how much a little white lie can backfire. "To the Moon!" takes the audience along for a ridiculous ride. Feriend mixes in just enough believability to sell the absurd premise, and does an excellent job bouncing the characters of the rocksteady astronauts with that of her spectacularly nervy hero. Good fun.

    An entertaining look at how much a little white lie can backfire. "To the Moon!" takes the audience along for a ridiculous ride. Feriend mixes in just enough believability to sell the absurd premise, and does an excellent job bouncing the characters of the rocksteady astronauts with that of her spectacularly nervy hero. Good fun.

  • Tom Moran: It's Just a Couch

    Sometimes our smaller decisions are proxies for our larger ones, and nowhere is this more in evidence than this nuanced depiction of a relationship in trouble. A very relatable piece that somehow has an air of finality about it even while not offering a pat resolution.

    Sometimes our smaller decisions are proxies for our larger ones, and nowhere is this more in evidence than this nuanced depiction of a relationship in trouble. A very relatable piece that somehow has an air of finality about it even while not offering a pat resolution.

  • Tom Moran: The Experience

    I heard this on the "Stories Found" podcast and greatly enjoyed it. It takes a fun, thought-provoking idea and plays it out to a logical and quite funny conclusion, building to an ending that is both counterintuitive and entirely appropriate. A great way to spend ten minutes.

    I heard this on the "Stories Found" podcast and greatly enjoyed it. It takes a fun, thought-provoking idea and plays it out to a logical and quite funny conclusion, building to an ending that is both counterintuitive and entirely appropriate. A great way to spend ten minutes.

  • Tom Moran: The Ambassador; or: the Disarmament of Nuclear Weapons

    Two ambassadors tasked with nuclear disarmament quibble about anything but. I can't decide whether this piece is silly or deeply nuanced, but ultimately it's a grab bag of both: a deeply funny interaction between two ridiculous and petty men, and a microcosm of all the stupid things that get in the way of actual progress. Either way it's great fun, full of absurd moments and wonderful turns of phrase.

    Two ambassadors tasked with nuclear disarmament quibble about anything but. I can't decide whether this piece is silly or deeply nuanced, but ultimately it's a grab bag of both: a deeply funny interaction between two ridiculous and petty men, and a microcosm of all the stupid things that get in the way of actual progress. Either way it's great fun, full of absurd moments and wonderful turns of phrase.

  • Tom Moran: TOADS!!! (an amphibious nativity play)

    What an utterly bizarre, engrossing, hysterical piece. Surprising, mystifying, beguiling, this is one of the best Christmas plays I've ever read, mostly because it (seemingly?) doesn't have very much to do with Christmas. Jumps right off the page, though seems like it would be a bit of a challenge to actually stage.

    What an utterly bizarre, engrossing, hysterical piece. Surprising, mystifying, beguiling, this is one of the best Christmas plays I've ever read, mostly because it (seemingly?) doesn't have very much to do with Christmas. Jumps right off the page, though seems like it would be a bit of a challenge to actually stage.

  • Tom Moran: Spam Calls from Hell

    Had the pleasure of hearing this on the Stories Found podcast. What a ride! Unpredictable, absurd, both deeply funny and satisfyingly chilling. As great as the main plotline is, though, my favorite part of the play was the cascade of nonsensical spam call menu options, several of which made me laugh out loud.

    Had the pleasure of hearing this on the Stories Found podcast. What a ride! Unpredictable, absurd, both deeply funny and satisfyingly chilling. As great as the main plotline is, though, my favorite part of the play was the cascade of nonsensical spam call menu options, several of which made me laugh out loud.

  • Tom Moran: Textual Abuse

    The expectation of instant responses to texts is one of the more vexing developments of the last decade or so, and the author tackles it full tilt with this sadly believable play. Something like this has happened to all of us, which makes for a piece that's both relatable and a bit disturbing. An engaging read that would be fun to see staged in all of its dyspeptic glory.

    The expectation of instant responses to texts is one of the more vexing developments of the last decade or so, and the author tackles it full tilt with this sadly believable play. Something like this has happened to all of us, which makes for a piece that's both relatable and a bit disturbing. An engaging read that would be fun to see staged in all of its dyspeptic glory.

  • Tom Moran: Tripping on Xanax at a Mumford & Sons Concert

    A sweet slice-of-life piece that ends with a well-earned warm fuzzy. Lipschutz sets us up for a derisive encounter that turns instead into a tender and affirming one, with some great laughs along the way. And a very catchy title.

    A sweet slice-of-life piece that ends with a well-earned warm fuzzy. Lipschutz sets us up for a derisive encounter that turns instead into a tender and affirming one, with some great laughs along the way. And a very catchy title.